Indicator.



PATENTED MAR. 26, 1907.

C. VERSTEEG.

INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED 110E214, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I A l 5 A! f? GHESTERVERSTEIE e.

WITNESQES A/TORNEYS PATENTED MAR. 26, 1907.

0. VERSTEEG.

INDICATOR.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV.14.1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

[jig l GHESTERVERSTEEG ATTORNEYS CHESTER VERSTEEG, ASHTON, SOUTH DAKOTA.

'mmcAroR.

Specification of LetteraPatent. Application m November 14, 1906.serial-No. 343,386.

To all whmn it may concern.-

of Ashton,

Be it known that I, CHEsTER VERSTEEG, a citizen of the United States,and a resident in the county of Spinkand State of South'Dakota, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Indicators, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in indicators for grain-bins, andconsists in certain novel constructions and combinations of partshereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings forming a part hereof, Figure 1 is aperspective view of a bin provided with my improved indicators. Fig. 2is a vertical section through the swinging box and its supporting-plate,showing the parts in their normal position at the bottom of the bin.Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the position of the parts when thecircuit is closed. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatical view of a number ofdevicesand the switchboard to which they are connected. Fig. 5 is avertical section through the indicator, showingthe parts in their normalposition when used at the top of the bin. Fig. 6 is a similar viewshowing the position of the parts when the circuit is closed, and Fig.7, is a perspective view of the rod on which the box is mounted.-

The present invention is an improvement over the device shown in LettersPatent No.

' 831,911, granted to me Se temb'er 25, 1906,

vtion to be and comprlsing an open e ectric circuit, including a signalto be operated by the contact of the terminals of the circuit, the saidterminals being arranged within the bin in posimoved into contact by-themovement of the grain when. it reaches a predetermined de th in the bin,and in means for preventing t 6 direct contact with the grain of thecontact-points, while permitting their movement toward and from eachother.

In the present embodiment of the invention a support A is arrangedwithin the bin-,-

the sup ort comprising a vertical portion a whereby it may be secured tothe side of the bin by the screws a at any suitable point, and ahorizontal portion a, provided with a threaded pin a, on which is athumb-nut'a for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

A red a"is provided atone end with a flattened portion 0., havingtherethrough an o ening through which extends the pin a t e rod beingsecured in its adjusted position with respectto the support by thethumbas at a, to permit the passage 0 e reduced ortion a of the rodwhereby to securely clamp the slotted portion of the rod upon thereduced portion of the shield. The slotted end of the rod is providedwith a threaded o ening, in which is engaged a screw a an a'washer a? isarranged between the head of the'screw and the end of the rod.

A closed box a, is rotatably mounted upon the rod, and insulatingmaterial a? is arranged between the box and the rod whereby'to' insulatethe said box from the rod. The box is slotted at its u per portion,

the reduced portion a ofthe shield, and the slot is sufficiently wide topermit the swinging of the box upon the rod without the edges of theslot contacting with the shield.

Thebox a" thereof with an insulating-plate a, secured to the'box by anysuitable means, as by the Patented March 26, 1907. i

' The slot a exten s to the end is'provided upon the inner face1provided a longitudinal screws a, and extending through the-plate is Ya binding-post a, the box belng cut away around the binding-post, asshown more particularly in Fig. 1, whereby to insulate thev binding-postfrom the box.

The portion a" of the shield outside of the box is of ap roximately thewidth of the box, and the said portion a arches over'thetop of' the boxand rod, as shown in Fig. 1, whereby to deflect the running grain overthe top and to each side of the box, the shield extending to aproximately the bottom of the box;

ires a, a are connected'with the" end of the rod a and with the,binding-post a), respectively, the wire a" being arranged between thewasher a and theend'of the rod and. thewire a, being withthebinding-post a).

In practice an indicator may be arrangedand at the tops.

in each bin at the bottom H thereof, and. theiconductors from the md1ca'tors lead to a common switchboard arranged in some convenient part ofthe building.

, The switchboard B comprises a base I), having arranged upon the facethereof a pluralityof conducting-bars 5 b parallelwith ands aced apartfrom each other, the ends, of sai( bars being connected by theconductors b 'm'an open current which includes abattery b Between thecontact-bars b and b are arconnected directly 7 ranged a plurality oflongitlidinally-alined and s aced plates b the abutting ends of the pates being recessed, as at b, for the receptlon of plu s b, whereby toconnect the plates with eac 1 other.

It will be evident from the drawings that the alternate plates b aredivided vertically by a strip of insulation 6. The upper contact-bar bis connected to an intermediate 1 late I) by conductors I). The wires aa eading from the rod and the binding-post, respectively, are connectedone with the contact-bar b and the other with the plate b and a bell bis interposed in each of the conductors. It will be evident from thedescription that when the plugs are inserted in the openings thecontactoints of each of the indicators 1, 2, ,3, 4, am 5 are theterminals-of in connection with the bell.

rod in its adjusted position.

accumulatin In operation the support A is placed in the bin in anysuitable position, and the rod a of the indicator is turned to bring itinto the position shown at the upper art of Fig. 1 when the indicator isto be used at the to ofthe bin or to bring it into the position s own atthe lower part of the said figure when it is to be used at the bottom ofthe bin, after which the thumb-screw is made use of to secure the Ineither case the shield a is between the indicator and the side of thebin, whereby to prevent the grain directly between the box and the sideof the bin. When the indicator is placed in the bottom of the bin in theposition shown in Fig. 1', the grain in the bin moves the box into the.position shown in Fig. 2, with the contact-point of the bindingpost outof contact with the reduced ortion' of the shield. When the bin isemptied and the grain is Withdrawn from the front of the box, the boxswin s forward to the position shown in Fig. 3, t us com leting thecircuit and ringing the bell. en placed at the top of the bin, the boxnormally stands in the position shown in Fig. 5 until the entering grainreaches a level sufiiciently high to swing the box into the positionshown in Fig. 6, when thecircuit is completed, as before.

In filling the bin after the alarm is sounded enough grain may be runinto the bin so as to entire y submerge the indicator before the flowcan "be strapped. If at an time grain should be with rawn from the insufficient It is obvious that a might bell be arranged to relieve thepressure against the box, thusbreaking the circuit, yet not enough toentirely clear the box, and under these conditions ,more wheat should beintroduced into the bin, the wheat already between the box and the wallwould not permit the box to swing back as it should.

The shield permits the placing of the indicator close to the bin-wall,and since it is always close to the box but a small amount of grain ispermitted to enter between the box and the shield.

In Fi s. 2.and 3 the reduced portion a, of the shie d is shown as bentslightly in order that the binding-post may contact with the reducedportion when the box hangs vertically from the post, and the outer endof the binding-post is provided with insulating material which forms astop between the bindingpost and the body portion of the shield.

I claim 1. An indicator for ain-bins comprising a support having avertical portion for attachment to the wall of the bin, and a horizontalportion provid'ed.with a threaded post, a rod aving a flattened portionresting upon the horizontal portion of the support and provided with anopenin through which passes the post, such rod being slotted at itsopposite end, a thumb-screw engaging with the post for securing the rodin its adjusted position, a closed box ivotally mounted upon the rod andinsulated therefrom, a shield having a reduced portion passing throughthe slot of the rod and within the box, the portion of the shieldoutside the boxbeing arranged substantially parallel with the sidethereof and spaced apart therefrom, said box depending normallysubstantially vertical from the rod, and being provided on its innerface with a plate of insulating material having a binding-post forcoacting with the reduced portion of the shield, an electric circuithaving its terminals connected with the bindingpost and with the reducedportion of the shield respectively, said circuit including a signaloperated by the contact of the bindingpost with the reduced portion ofthe shield.

2. An indicator for grain-bins comprising a support arranged in the bin,a rod adjustably secured to the late and having its free end slotted, ashiel comprising areduced portion passing through the slot of the rod,the body portion of the shield lying alongside the reduced portion andspaced apart therefrom, a box mounted for rotation upon the rod andinsulated therefrom, said box inclosing the reduced portion of theshield, a binding-post extending into the box and insulated therefrom,an electric circuit having its terminals in the bindingost and in thereduced por- -tion of the she d, respectively, and an electric circuithaving a signal operated portion of the shield.

b the contact of the binding-post with said rediiced 3. An indicator forgrain-bins com ising a support within the bin, a rod adjusta 1yconnected with the-support, a box pivotally mounted on the rod andinsulated therefrom, a shield having a reduced portion within the box,thebody portion of saldshield lyin outside of the box and spaced apartthere rom, a binding-post extending through the box and insulatedtherefrom, and an electric circuit havin its terminals in thebinding-post and the re uced portion of the shield, respectively, andincluding a signal 0 erated by the 7 contact of the binding-post witsaid reduced portion of the shield.

v4. An indicator for grain-bins, comprising a box, a shield arrangedalongside the box and spaced apart therefrom, said shield having areduced portion extending into the box, the box bein movable Withrespect to said reduced portlon, said box having a contactpoint forcoacting with the reduced ortion of the shield, an an electric circuit'aving its terminals in the reduced portion of the shield and thecontact-point of the box respectively, said circuit including a signaloperated by the contact of the contact-point and theshield.

I CHESTER VERSTEEG. Witnesses l D. H. RoBER'rs,

v E. N. GRAvEs;

